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40 years of Gordie
Recalling conflict and resolution on the 40th anniversary of Gordon Fellman's professorship
by Alex Bakst
Features | 3/30/04
Posted online at 4:58 AM EST on 3/30/04
/ Last updated at 7:13 PM EST on 3/30/04
An event to honor Fellman took place on Sunday, March 21. Many who have worked with him throughout the years took a chance to express their appreciation of Fellman. The audience enjoyed these speeches, as well as performances by the Late Night Players comedy troupe and a documentary about Fellman created by Seth Bernstein '06.
During the open-mic session at the event, Alexander Liazos, a former student of Fellman's who is now a professor at Regis College, and many others associated with "Gordie" expressed their feelings. One alumnus said Fellman allowed him "to do what I want to do, and to do it better." A group of Tibetan students sang a song in his honor. Fellman called the event a "terrific success."
In the 40 years since Fellman came to Brandeis, "so many students have been so positively affected by him," Liazos said. As a graduate student of sociology, Liazos came to Brandeis the same year as Fellman, and the two soon became "very fond of each other," as they developed a strong (quasi-)academic relationship.
Fellman said he likes Brandeis. "This is not Michigan or BU," he explained. "I like the smaller size, I like the location a lot, and I like Boston and Cambridge." Liazos noted that that "Brandeis is now twice as crowded as when I was there," and that there was "much more open space" back in his heyday. Nonetheless, Liazos said that "that's just the way of things" for universities, and he is glad that Brandeis has grown so much in just a few decades.
"Brandeis is unique. It was then and it is now," Fellman said. He particularly enjoys the "tradition of social activism at the university," he said, stressing the word "tradition." "It waxes and wanes, you know," he added as an afterthought.
Fellman said that for him, the greatest advance made in the field of sociology during his lifetime was the "paradigm shift from more strictly quantitative methods to giving real thought to the issues at hand." Liazos confirmed this, saying that "sociology professors are often very harsh because they want to have it their way, but Gordie was different. He let me figure out my own way and then helped me do it like that."
During the open-mic session at the event, Alexander Liazos, a former student of Fellman's who is now a professor at Regis College, and many others associated with "Gordie" expressed their feelings. One alumnus said Fellman allowed him "to do what I want to do, and to do it better." A group of Tibetan students sang a song in his honor. Fellman called the event a "terrific success."
In the 40 years since Fellman came to Brandeis, "so many students have been so positively affected by him," Liazos said. As a graduate student of sociology, Liazos came to Brandeis the same year as Fellman, and the two soon became "very fond of each other," as they developed a strong (quasi-)academic relationship.
Fellman said he likes Brandeis. "This is not Michigan or BU," he explained. "I like the smaller size, I like the location a lot, and I like Boston and Cambridge." Liazos noted that that "Brandeis is now twice as crowded as when I was there," and that there was "much more open space" back in his heyday. Nonetheless, Liazos said that "that's just the way of things" for universities, and he is glad that Brandeis has grown so much in just a few decades.
"Brandeis is unique. It was then and it is now," Fellman said. He particularly enjoys the "tradition of social activism at the university," he said, stressing the word "tradition." "It waxes and wanes, you know," he added as an afterthought.
Fellman said that for him, the greatest advance made in the field of sociology during his lifetime was the "paradigm shift from more strictly quantitative methods to giving real thought to the issues at hand." Liazos confirmed this, saying that "sociology professors are often very harsh because they want to have it their way, but Gordie was different. He let me figure out my own way and then helped me do it like that."
